Dillons, cookie store among new projects in city

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News and notes from the Lawrence development scene:• Westside residents soon will have another option to satisfy their sweet tooth. Eileen’s Colossal Cookies, a small franchise of cookie stores, plans to open at Sixth and Wakarusa in January. Details on the exact location at the intersection weren’t listed on the company’s Web site, and an attempt to reach the local representative for the company wasn’t immediately successful. According to the Web site, the Nebraska-based company offers at least a dozen different flavors of cookies and has more than 600 designs to decorate the cookies. • Keep an eye on the Massachusetts Street Dillons store. Paperwork has been submitted to the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Office that would allow a small apartment building at 1725 N.H. to be torn down to make way for an expanded parking lot at the grocery store. The lot would be immediately north of the store. • East Lawrence may be getting a large, new office building. A site plan and rezoning request have been filed that would allow a new 12,500-square-foot office building to be constructed next to Sunshine Acres Montessori School, 2141 Maple Lane. The building would house offices for TFI Family Services, the organization that provides foster care services and other child welfare assistance in the region. TFI Family Services, which previously was The Farm Inc., bought the Sunshine Acres Montessori School about one year ago. The property included a vacant lot next to the school. The new office building — which probably wouldn’t be built until 2010, if it wins all the necessary city approvals — would be about twice the size of the rented office space the organization has at 910 W. 24th St. • A new business appears to be headed into the former Play It Again Sports location at 1029 Mass. A site plan has been filed to remodel the building. The site plan application doesn’t identify the future tenant, but according to a sign it will be home to Nargile Lounge, an authentic Turkish Hookah Lounge that had been operating in the Hillcrest Shopping Center at Ninth and Iowa.

Yeah. Blue Chip Cookies. Most likely they will use the same place because there are some things left behind that can still be used. The reason it "went under" was due to the incompetent City Commission trying to fight Wal-Mart despite the law being in favor of Wal-Mart. During that time, businesses opened, hoping to take advantage of the new traffic. But the city instead had their minds against it because rich people don't want one near them.

Ragingbear, the cookie place going in is next to the former Hereford House. The Blue Chip Cookies was located across the street and must've moved where country girl said. I think the incompetent former city commission closed off the entrance in front of that center. That's why a lot of those businesses have failed. I don't think it was the rich people not wanting a Walmart. Most of the flak came from people who live downtown and hate Walmart.But not having a Walmart draw has done in quite a few businesses in that area that went in predicated by the fact that Walmart was going in. 7-8 years later, a new Walmart goes in and some of those businesses didn't have the where with all to ride out the storm started by the City.Another feather in Lawrence's business unfriendly cap. But it's okay, nobody cares anyway. The City should have a task force as to why Lawrence is known nationwide as business unfriendly. I'd love to be on it.

You want "business-unfriendly"? Lawrence leaders should come down and be taken to school by Baldwin City. It would be easier to get a permit for a combination toxic waste dump/child porn photography booth at 15th and Iowa than to get the simplest business built in Baldwin./just sayin'

Although it's encouraging to have new business move in, none of these new projects is very useful or exciting to me. I wish there was a way to do a survey of what new businesses people in Lawrence want to see that could be shared with landowners AND companies.

The new cookie place is Eileen's Colossal cookies and will be located right next to where HH Bar and Grill used to be. If you've never had an Eileen's cookie, you are in for a treat. There are no better cookies anywhere. Made fresh and baked in the store, and reasonable too.

You know what business I'd like to see open in this town? An H&M. Downtown. Stick something affordable and trendy right in the middle of Mass Street (well, not the middle of the street...) to draw in the college hipsters with disposable income, but not enough to spend fifty bucks on a T-shirt at Urban Outfitters and keep their dollars here in town instead of Oak Park Mall or the Legends.

ronwell_dobbs (Anonymous) says… "It would be easier to get a permit for a combination toxic waste dump/child porn photography booth at 15th and Iowa than to get the simplest business built in Baldwin."Never happen. It would compete existing locally owned porn and sex shops and The City Commission already has its eyes on Farmland.

I agree that this is a bad time to be starting any business...let alone one that sells cookies. I do love a freshly baked cookie, but how many do they need to sell in a day to pay for overhead and make a big enoug profit to stay in business? I would imagine this was a done deal before the economy slid the slippery slope......and why are we all not getting ready to go out dancing...or look at the moon and stars....Have a safe and happy New Year all of you...cookie or not.... :)

"Details on the exact location at the intersection weren’t listed on the company’s Web site, and an attempt to reach the local representative for the company wasn’t immediately successful."Maybe Mr. Lawhorn doesn't read his comments, but if he does I want him to know that is pathetic.There is a giant sign reading "Colossal Cookies" at 6th and Wakarusa. I'll leave it to your reporting "skills" to figure out where it is.Seriously, this town is 40 blocks by 60 blocks. You would think a reporter could cover that beat.

I think JW reporters are too busy in the office downtown and probably over worked to venture from the confines of 6th & New Hampshire. Probably not allowed to leave without being on a special assignment and with permission. Sounds kind of iron fisted but, I really don't know. The colossus cookie joint has had a sign up for a few weeks.